he covered civil rights in atlanta early, he was an early reporter on the reagan b story in 1966, he was as anchor and managing editor of nbc nightly news the critical figure for a quarter century, the only man in the history of nbc to host the trifecta, toed show, nightly news and meet the press. in new york media circles that's, in fact, the holy trinity. [laughter] the divinity school is off on that. [laughter] he was the only american network anchor in berlin for the collapse of the wall. it's unclear whether that was positive. [laughter] is he laughing? as an author he's captured the sacrifices of the greatest generation, coining that phrase and moving it into the culture. he's grounded, generous, kind and wise. this is a great man. he proves that grace and skill are not incompatible. he played a valuable role inning -- [inaudible] and large swaths of american viewers still turn to him. he's just finished work on a landmark documentary, the assassination of president kennedy, which is a to to found piece of work, and we're deeply grateful that he is here. so an to arthur, who wo